


The Palace

by suitbadgetie



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Ice Cream, Smooching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-06
Updated: 2015-08-06
Packaged: 2018-04-13 05:44:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4510080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suitbadgetie/pseuds/suitbadgetie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emily is tired, JJ is cute, what more can you want.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Palace

**Author's Note:**

  * For [w00t4ewan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/w00t4ewan/gifts).



They’d flown halfway across the country, and Emily Prentiss was jet lagged and hungry and more than a little irritated. If it had been any later in the day, she would have made a B line for the shower, and then slept until her neighbors knocked on the door because they were worried she was dead.

She was so. goddamned. tired.

But JJ, apparently, was not. Emily glared at the blond as she bounced up and down while she talked to Derek. Morgan looked exactly as tired as Emily felt, and it didn’t take a profiler to read that he was about ten seconds from storming out the door.

Emily didn’t like the look that flashed across JJ’s face when someone got angry at her. Her eyes got big and sad, and her mouth tipped down a little at the corners while her shoulders fell. God help her, she was tired, but she loved JJ a little too much not to do anything about it.

“Hey, JJ, why don’t we go take a walk to the ice cream place down the street. Daylight is good for jet lag.” Emily snaked an arm through JJ’s and shot Derek a look that very clearly said /you owe me./

Yeah, she loved JJ way too much. But that wasn’t a bad thing.

On nice days, the walk to the store that proudly proclaimed itself to be HARRY’S ICE CREAM PALACE could be a pleasant thing. Emily and JJ could walk and talk and get lost in a world where there weren’t unsubs or missing children. Those days, (in Emily’s book) were the best days.

And then there were days like this one; hot and humid right on the heels of a long plane ride and an even longer case. On days like this one, they walked in silence with just their little fingers linked together. Just enough skin touching to light a spark, but not enough to make them sweat. (That was left for later in the bedroom.)

Harry’s Ice Cream Palace was their oasis, and it fit snuggly into Emily’s list of top five favorite places. The seats were red vinyl and the floor was black and white checkered. Sometimes the girl who scooped the ice cream gave them free cherries and whipped cream if they smiled enough. Once, on JJ’s birthday, Emily had bought a sundae with every flavor in the freezer, and they had eaten it together. Both of them had been surprised when they’d managed to eat most of it. (That day was the reason that The Palace had made the Top Five Favorite Places List.)

The air conditioning in The Palace had broken, but it beat sitting outside under the malevolent sun. Emily smiled at the girl behind the counter and slid a couple of bills over the counter. Neither of them bothered speaking— it was too hot, and she knew their orders by now: Two scoops of mint chip in a cup for Emily, and a scoop of rocky road with rainbow sprinkles for JJ.

They sat down in one of the red vinyl booths, and all of a sudden Emily, was ridiculously happy. Happy to sit there and let their ankles touch under the table, happy to watch the way JJ was careful to eat her ice cream so none of it dripped on her hand, even happy for the heat. Nothing could ruin that moment.

And then Emily laughed, because as careful as JJ had been to not get any ice cream on her hand, she had a little on the upper corner of her lip.

“What?” Blue eyes widened as JJ tilted her head. “Do I… Do I have something…?” She dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. “Did I get it?”

“No.” Emily grinned and shook her head. “Here, let me—“ JJ reached out to give her the napkin, but Emily batted it away and leaned over the table to press their lips together. The kiss was soft and slow and tasted a little like mint and a little like rocky road and a little like lipstick.

“Got it.” Warmth swelled in Emily’s stomach as she pulled away, and now it was JJ’s turn to laugh.

“You have my lipstick on your mouth.” She whispered behind a smile that was just as large as Emily’s.

Harry’s Ice Cream Palace graduated to Emily’s number one favorite place.


End file.
